According to the Israeli government, Hamas released 11 Israeli hostages – all women and children from Kibbutz Nir Oz – on Monday, the fourth day of the ceasefire.
The new releases followed an initial release of 13 Israelis on Friday, 13 more late Saturday and 14 on Sunday. Some of those released have dual nationality.
An official briefed on the negotiations said avoiding family separation was crucial for Israelis and that their concerns had increased as the final day of the first ceasefire began on Monday. Two sets of siblings returned to Israel with their mothers late Monday evening, but their fathers were believed to still be in Gaza.
Here’s what we know about the Israeli citizens released on Monday.
Sharon Alony Cunio, 34, and her three-year-old twins Emma Cunio and Yuli Cunio
Sharon Alony Cunio with her twins Emma Alony Cunio and Yuli Alony Cunio.Credit…Hostage and Missing Families Forum
Sharon Alony Cunio, her husband David Cunio, and their three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli, along with Sharon’s sister Danielle Alony and her five-year-old daughter Amelia, were hiding in their bomb shelter at Kibbutz Nir Oz when they were taken hostage on October 7. The last message her family received from them on WhatsApp said: “Help, we’re dying.”
Her family members, including a cousin, Alana Zeitchik, have told her story and advocated for her release at meetings with political leaders around the world.
Danielle and Amelia Alony were released on Friday.
Ms Zeitchik described Emma and Yuli as “the happiest twins you could imagine”. Her cousin Amelia, Ms. Zeitchik said, was the star of the family. “She’s this sharp, funny, smart little girl, you can’t really get past her.”
“The harm that has been done to these children, this suffering and this pain, it does not end with their release,” she said, adding: “There is a lot of pain and trauma surrounding their return.”
33-year-old David Cunio is believed to still be in Gaza.
Karina Engelbert, 51; Mika Engel, 18; Yuval Engel, 11
Karina Engelbert (left) and her daughters Mika Engel and Yuval Engel. Source: Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Portal
Karina Engelbert, 51, and her entire family, including her husband Ronen Engel, 54, and their daughters Mika, 18, and Yuval, 11, were taken from the safe room in their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
When she was abducted, Ms. Engelbert was still recovering from a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery that had failed. She was weak and tired easily, and a buildup of painful scar tissue on her chest caused tightness and limited her mobility.
“We don’t know if she is receiving medical treatment, if anyone is taking care of her, if she is receiving painkillers or what medication she needs to prevent the cancer from coming back,” Diego Engelbert, Ms. Engelbert’s brother, said last week.
Ronen Engel is said to still be in Gaza.
Eitan Yahalomi, 12
Eitan YahalomiCredit…Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Eitan and his family went to their safe room when the alarm was first sounded at Kibbutz Nir Oz.
When the Yahalomi family learned that Hamas would move from house to house, Eitan’s father Ohad sat outside the family’s safe room. The door was broken, said Efrat Avsker, Ohad’s sister, and he tried to prevent Hamas from entering.
“There was some negotiation between Ohad and the terrorists,” Ms. Avsker said, “they shot him in the leg and arm.”
The attackers took Eitan’s mother Bat-Sheva and all three children – Liel, 1, Yael, 10 and Eitan – leaving Ohad behind.
“They saw him lying on the floor bleeding,” Ms. Avsker said of Ohad’s family, “and he told them he loved them.”
Eitan, a dual citizen of Israel and France, was separated from his mother and sisters and expelled to Gaza. Bat-Sheva and her daughters managed to escape and hid in a field, Ms. Avsker said.
The family later learned that Ohad had also been kidnapped.
“Ohad’s family and most of the people in these kibbutzim are people who believed in peace,” Ms. Avsker said. “They wanted peace. They believed in living together.”
Ohad Yahalomi is believed to remain in Gaza.
Erez Kalderon, 12; Sahar Kalderon, 16
Erez KalderonCredit…via Associated PressSahar KalderonCredit…via Associated Press
Ofer Kalderon, 53, his 16-year-old daughter Sahar and his 12-year-old son Erez were confiscated from their family home on Kibbutz Nir Oz. Both Erez and Sahar are dual citizens of Israel and France. Gaya Kalderon, 21, last heard from her sister Sahar on the morning of October 7, when she sent a text message saying they were in hiding and had left their house.
A day later, Gaya saw a video on Instagram of a child being pushed down a path. It was her brother Erez – the first sign of her missing relatives she had seen.
The children’s mother, Hadas Kalderon, later visited the house from which she and her ex-husband had been taken, which lay in burnt rubble. Some relics of the family home, including a picture of Erez, remained. Her mother and niece were found dead near the kibbutz.
Ofer Kalderon is believed to remain in Gaza.
Or Yaakov, 16; Yagil Yaakov, 12
Or YaakovCredit…hostages and missing families forum, via ReutersYagil YaakovCredit…hostages and missing families forum, via Portal
Or Yaakov, 16; a brother, Yagil, 12; her father Yair, 59; and his girlfriend Meirav Tal, 53, were all taken hostage at Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Or Yaakov has a life-threatening peanut allergy and could die if exposed to small amounts of peanut powder, according to Dr. Arnon Elizur, who has spoken publicly in recent weeks to raise awareness of the plight of hostages with health problems. Yagil appeared in a hostage video released on November 9 by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an armed group based in Gaza.
“You can recognize him, but his eyes -” his cousin Sheffa Phillips-Bahat said, pausing – “they look like he’s been through so many things so quickly. Just so much less life in them.”
Neither Yair Yaakov nor Meirav Tal were released along with Or and Yagil.
Nadav Gavrielov contributed reporting.